Warriors outlast Trail Blazers 113-112

PORTLAND, Ore. -- An emotionally drained Klay Thompson arrived in Portland at about 2 a.m. Sunday after a cross-country flight following his grandfather's funeral. By the end of the game, he had woken up the Warriors from their slumber.

Thompson poured in 23 of his 27 points in the second half and hit two last-minute 3-pointers to lift the Warriors to a 113-112 comeback win over the Trail Blazers, with the go-ahead bucket from beyond the arc going in with 11.9 seconds left.

"I saw him actually pump his fist one time, which is more emotion than I've seen in two, three years combined," forward David Lee mused.

Thompson needed a three-segment flight from the Bahamas to rejoin the team in Portland, "but I slept on most of them. I actually felt fresh when I stepped on the court. You might not believe me, but I warmed up before the game and felt good."

Portland had a chance to at least tie the score, but Nicolas Batum missed the second of two free throws and could manage only a desperation attempt at a 3-pointer at the buzzer that fell well short, as the Warriors stole one on the road to snap a two-game losing streak.

"It just shows the resiliency of this team," Thompson said.

One game after blowing an 18-point lead in a loss against lowly Cleveland that prompted a team meeting, the Warriors stormed back from an 18-point deficit to pick up a win coach Mark Jackson said was as good as any during his tenure.

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The Warriors with their 42nd win guaranteed consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2006-08 and moved to 1½ games behind Portland for the Western Conference's No. 5 seed, as the Trail Blazers have lost five of their past six games.

"We got a group of guys that hold themselves accountable," Jackson said. "When you play bad, they talk about it. That's what the meeting was about the last game. We knew it. We owned it. And we also knew how big this game was."

Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson signals from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, Ore., Sunday, March 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
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Don Ryan
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Stephen Curry also caught fire and scored a game-high 37 points, finishing 6 for 12 from 3-point range and hitting all nine of his free throw attempts. Two of those came on fourth-quarter technical foul shots after Portland coach Terry Stotts and guard Mo Williams were whistled for arguing calls during the Warriors' comeback.

The Trail Blazers, playing without top scorer LaMarcus Aldridge, saw Oakland native Damian Lillard lead them with 26 points and give them a 111-110 lead after a dunk and a drive on the following possession led to two free throws.

But then Thompson struck again from beyond the arc to give the Warriors the lead for the second time in the final minute.

"He's as cool as they come," Jackson said, adding the team had missed Thompson when he missed his first career game Friday.

Curry and Thompson combined to score 51 of Golden State's 69 points in the second half.

"It's hard to guard, so you know if you keep being aggressive and making the right play, somebody's going to be open, so you're going to have the opportunity to make the defense pay," Curry said.

Lee added 16 points but was benched for a long stretch because of defense as Draymond Green had five points and a team-high eight rebounds while the Warriors cut into Portland's lead.

The Trail Blazers went ahead by as many as 14 points in the first half and went into halftime leading 55-44. Portland went on a 19-4 run in the second quarter during which Batum hit three 3-pointers in a four-minute span.

"We just had to fight our way out of whatever was going on in the first half," Curry said. "Guys gave maximum effort, and it was definitely a big win for us.

"It doesn't matter who's on the schedule. You don't want to lose three in a row at this point."

Andrew Bogut in his 500th career game left briefly in the fourth quarter because of a left ankle issue but re-entered the game for the final possession.

Curry with 484 3-pointers over the past two seasons has more in consecutive years than anyone in NBA history.